UWA Handbook 2025

Unit Overview

Description

This unit introduces students to a range of of psychological and neuropsychological disorders (e.g. schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, acquired brain injury, dementia, substance dependence) with clinical presentations that are complicated by neurocognitive and neurobehavioural impairments in addition to affective and interpersonal symptoms. Specialised assessment techniques for evaluation of neuropsychological functioning (e.g. memory attention and executive functions) are introduced and approaches for ethical and appropriate test selection, including critical evaluation of psychometric properties, are reviewed. The unit also introduces students to empirically validated interventions for disorders with neurocognitive impairments. The unit includes a mix of learning modalities including lectures, workshops, brief student presentations and group work typically centred on case examples.

Credit

6 points

Offering
(see Timetable)

Availability	Location	Mode
Semester 2	UWA (Perth)	Face to face

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) demonstrate, through oral and written modes of communication, the ability to evaluate and apply research to psychological assessment and intervention, using context-appropriate language conveying respect for others; (2) convey understanding of how psychological theories – including, but not limited to, those involving and different mechanisms of brain injury, illness, or disease – used to explain contribute to differences in cognitive, emotional, and personality functioning, with consideration of how clinical presentations and assessment/intervention approaches may vary based on individual differences (e.g., cultural background); (3) show knowledge of, and the ability to apply, international taxonomies of classification of psychological disorders criteria to the assessment and differential diagnosis of clinical presentations complicated by co-occurring cognitive and emotional/personality difficulties; (4) demonstrate the ability to administer and score common psychological assessment instruments in a standardized fashion and to apply knowledge of psychometrics and other sources of clinical data toward the integration of psychological assessment results with other sources of clinical data (e.g., interviews, questionnaires, behavioural observations) and knowledge about psychopathology to inform diagnostic decision-making and intervention planning. T; this includes the use of multiple sources of information to inform case formulation, diagnosis, and intervention, considering contextual factors (e.g., culture); and (5) demonstrate one's knowledge base of information pertinent to assessment and intervention in medically/psychologically complex patient populations, including work in a consultation-liaison role in teams from multiple disciplines, and with regard to the assessment of decision-making capacity.

Assessment

Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) video presentation; (2) written case report; (3) attendance of lectures and workshops; and (4) workshop quizzes. Further information is available in the unit outline.

To pass this unit, a student must: (a) achieve an overall mark of 50 per cent or higher for the unit; and (b) achieve the requisite requirements(s) or a mark of 50 per cent or greater, whichever is higher and specified in the unit outline, for the attendance of lectures and workshops component.

Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Unit Coordinator(s)

Dr Pascalle Bosboom

Unit rules

Prerequisites

Enrolment in

01890/54590 Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Clinical Neuropsychology
or 01870/54570 Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Clinical Psychology

and Successful completion of

two Unit(s) PSYC5672 Foundations in Clinical Skills I
and Unit(s) PSYC5673 Foundations in Clinical Skills II

Incompatibility

Unit(s) PSYC5592 Neuropsychological Assessment

Contact hours

lectures: 8 x 2 hours
workshops: 5 x 4 hours (attendance at classes/workshops is compulsory)

Note

Students enrolled in an APAC accredited program must hold provisional registration as a psychologist. It is the students' responsibility to ensure registration eligibility. Enrolled students are also responsible for maintaining provisional registration for the duration of their enrolment in the program.